Ruff Sqwad
Encyclopedia
Ruff Sqwad is a Ghanaian British grime music
, post-dubstep and alternative hip hop
group originating from Republic of Ghana
formed by Tinchy Stryder
in 2001. The group have been based in Bow
(E3), East London
since 2001.
Ruff Sqwad are one of the four-founding groups of the grime music genre, that was established in the early 2000s in Bow E3, which consists of Roll Deep
, Newham Generals
, and Boy Better Know
. Ruff Sqwad are the longest standing out of all four grime groups to this day. The group emerged on the London
scene by independently releasing several mixtapes
.
. They have released two independent record label
studio albums, and they have also released many mixtapes
together and as individuals. Their most recent studio album is "Guns and Roses Volume. 2
" released in October 2006.
They are well known within the grime music scene, and due to the success of Tinchy Stryder they are one of the successful rap groups in the United Kingdom. Ruff Sqwad in the past used to play at nightclubs in the United Kingdom
non stop since the autumn
of 2006, and they used to also appear nearly every month at most grime
events especially gig
's at The Old Blue Last (Shoreditch
, London
) until 2010.
from Accra
, Republic of Ghana
, he is the founder of the Ruff Sqwad collective.
artist and producer
for the Ruff Sqwad collective. He is also the cousin of Dizzee Rascal
.
for the Ruff Sqwad collective.
/hip hop
producer, mixing engineer
and mastering engineer
for the Ruff Sqwad collective.
, rap rock
, post-dubstep and grime artist, and was the most recent member to join the Ruff Sqwad collective.
for the Ruff Sqwad collective.
As featured artist
Grime (music)
Grime is a style of music that emerged from Bow, East London, England in the early 2000s, primarily as a development of UK garage, dancehall, and hip hop...
, post-dubstep and alternative hip hop
Alternative hip hop
Alternative hip hop is a sub-genre of hip hop music. Allmusic defines it as follows: -Origin:...
group originating from Republic of Ghana
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
formed by Tinchy Stryder
Tinchy Stryder
Kwasi Danquah III , better known by his pseudonyms Tinchy Stryder and Star In The Hood, is a Ghanaian British recording artist, music executive, A&R executive, and businessman...
in 2001. The group have been based in Bow
Bow, London
Bow is an area of London, England, United Kingdom in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is a built-up, mostly residential district located east of Charing Cross, and is a part of the East End.-Bridges at Bowe:...
(E3), East London
East End of London
The East End of London, also known simply as the East End, is the area of London, England, United Kingdom, east of the medieval walled City of London and north of the River Thames. Although not defined by universally accepted formal boundaries, the River Lea can be considered another boundary...
since 2001.
Ruff Sqwad are one of the four-founding groups of the grime music genre, that was established in the early 2000s in Bow E3, which consists of Roll Deep
Roll Deep
Roll Deep are an Urban Music Awards-winning London-based grime music collective. They were founded in 2002, by a group of MCs including Wiley. Roll Deep were also closely associated with Boy Better Know with members in both. Their debut album, In at the Deep End, was released in June 2005...
, Newham Generals
Newham Generals
Newham Generals are an East London based grime duo consisting of MCs D Double E and Footsie with live DJing provided by DJ Tubby. The group was founded in 2003, after splitting from grime collective N.A.S.T.Y Crew with former member Monkstar...
, and Boy Better Know
Boy Better Know
-History:The band and label were established by Jamie Adenuga "Boy Better Know" is a registered trademark, clothing line and Boy Better Know sim cards....
. Ruff Sqwad are the longest standing out of all four grime groups to this day. The group emerged on the London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
scene by independently releasing several mixtapes
Mixtape
A Mix Tape or Mixed Tape is a compilation of songs recorded in a specific order, traditionally onto an audio Compact Cassette.A Mix Tape, which usually reflects the musical tastes of its compiler, can range from a casually selected list of favorite songs, to a conceptual mix of songs linked by a...
.
History
Ruff Squad are a well-respected grime collective from Republic of GhanaGhana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
. They have released two independent record label
Independent record label
An independent record label is a record label operating without the funding of or outside the organizations of the major record labels. A great number of bands and musical acts begin on independent labels.-Overview:...
studio albums, and they have also released many mixtapes
Mixtape
A Mix Tape or Mixed Tape is a compilation of songs recorded in a specific order, traditionally onto an audio Compact Cassette.A Mix Tape, which usually reflects the musical tastes of its compiler, can range from a casually selected list of favorite songs, to a conceptual mix of songs linked by a...
together and as individuals. Their most recent studio album is "Guns and Roses Volume. 2
Guns and Roses Volume. 2
Guns and Roses Volume. 2 is the second studio album by Ghanaian British grime music collective Ruff Sqwad. It was released in October 2006 on the independent record label Ruff Sqwad Recordings, and was very well received by the grime scene. Along with their debut album, Guns and Roses Volume...
" released in October 2006.
They are well known within the grime music scene, and due to the success of Tinchy Stryder they are one of the successful rap groups in the United Kingdom. Ruff Sqwad in the past used to play at nightclubs in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
non stop since the autumn
Autumn
Autumn is one of the four temperate seasons. Autumn marks the transition from summer into winter usually in September or March when the arrival of night becomes noticeably earlier....
of 2006, and they used to also appear nearly every month at most grime
Grime (music)
Grime is a style of music that emerged from Bow, East London, England in the early 2000s, primarily as a development of UK garage, dancehall, and hip hop...
events especially gig
Gig (musical performance)
Gig is slang for a musical engagement in which musicians are hired. Originally coined in the 1920s by jazz musicians, the term, short for the word "engagement", now refers to any aspect of performing such as assisting with performance and attending musical performance...
's at The Old Blue Last (Shoreditch
Shoreditch
Shoreditch is an area of London within the London Borough of Hackney in England. It is a built-up part of the inner city immediately to the north of the City of London, located east-northeast of Charing Cross.-Etymology:...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
) until 2010.
Members
Ruff Sqwad consists of seven members: Tinchy Stryder; Slix; Dirty Danger; Rapid; Shifty Rydos; Fuda Guy and DJ Scholar.Tinchy Stryder
Tinchy Stryder (Real name: Kwasi Danquah III, born September 14, 1986), is a recording artistMusician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
from Accra
Accra
Accra is the capital and largest city of Ghana, with an urban population of 1,658,937 according to the 2000 census. Accra is also the capital of the Greater Accra Region and of the Accra Metropolitan District, with which it is coterminous...
, Republic of Ghana
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
, he is the founder of the Ruff Sqwad collective.
- Stryder has been in the grime (music)Grime (music)Grime is a style of music that emerged from Bow, East London, England in the early 2000s, primarily as a development of UK garage, dancehall, and hip hop...
scene since the early 2000s and has been part of Roll DeepRoll DeepRoll Deep are an Urban Music Awards-winning London-based grime music collective. They were founded in 2002, by a group of MCs including Wiley. Roll Deep were also closely associated with Boy Better Know with members in both. Their debut album, In at the Deep End, was released in June 2005...
and is still the leader of Ruff Sqwad. He has released many mixtapesMixtapeA Mix Tape or Mixed Tape is a compilation of songs recorded in a specific order, traditionally onto an audio Compact Cassette.A Mix Tape, which usually reflects the musical tastes of its compiler, can range from a casually selected list of favorite songs, to a conceptual mix of songs linked by a...
and EPsExtended playAn EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
, as well as three albumsAlbumAn album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
, and has achieved considerable mainstream success, including two UK number 1s and many more UK Top 40 hits.
Slix
Slix (born 1982), is from Republic of Ghana, he is a grimeGrime (music)
Grime is a style of music that emerged from Bow, East London, England in the early 2000s, primarily as a development of UK garage, dancehall, and hip hop...
artist and producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
for the Ruff Sqwad collective. He is also the cousin of Dizzee Rascal
Dizzee Rascal
Dylan Kwabena Mills , better known by his stage name Dizzee Rascal, is a Ghanaian British rapper, songwriter and record producer. His music is a blend of garage, hip hop, grime, ragga, pop and electronic music, with eclectic samples and more exotic styles...
.
- Slix has released two solo mixtapes entitled "Down Volume 1" and "Down Volume 2". He had also featured on Tinchy Stryder's 2006 debut mixtape entitled "I'm Back U KnowI'm Back U KnowI'm Back U Know is the first of 3 mixtapes by Tinchy Stryder, It was released on 2 March 2006 on the label Boy Better Know. The mixtape sees Stryder rapping with big name rappers such as Wiley, Kano and Flow Dan from the grime collective Roll Deep...
" and TrimTrim (rapper)Trim, born Javan St. Prix and formerly known as Taliban Trim is a British grime MC from East London and a former member of Roll Deep. He is a cousin of Roll Deep member DJ Karnage, former Roll Deep member Roachee, footballer Leon Knight and grime MC Lee Brasco...
's mixtape entitled "Soulfood Volume 2".
- Slix had produced the mixtape's entitled "Simply The Best Vol. 1" and "Simply The Best Vol. 2" for ScorcherScorcher (rapper)Scorcher is a rapper and producer from North London.-Biography:Scorcher is a grime MC and producer from Enfield, North London. He began his career in Cold Blooded where he became known for his 'shank' bars, and would regularly attend pirate radio and work his way up through the North London grime...
.
Dirty Danger
Dirty Danger (Real name: David Nkrumah, born 1986), is a grime artist and producer from Republic of Ghana, he is the beatmakerHip hop production
Hip hop production is the creation of hip hop music. Though the term encompasses all aspects of hip hop music, it's most commonly used to refer to the instrumental, non-lyrical aspects of hip hop. This means that hip hop producers are the instrumentalists involved in a work...
for the Ruff Sqwad collective.
- Dirty Dangerous has produced many tracks on Ruff Sqwad's studio albums "Guns and Roses Volume. 1Guns and Roses Volume. 1Guns and Roses Volume. 1 is the debut studio album by Ghanaian British grime music collective Ruff Sqwad. It was released in March 2005 on the independent record label Ruff Sqwad Recordings, and was very well received by the grime scene. It has been ranked amongst the best full-length studio albums...
" & "Guns and Roses Volume. 2Guns and Roses Volume. 2Guns and Roses Volume. 2 is the second studio album by Ghanaian British grime music collective Ruff Sqwad. It was released in October 2006 on the independent record label Ruff Sqwad Recordings, and was very well received by the grime scene. Along with their debut album, Guns and Roses Volume...
" and Tinchy Stryder's 2007 debut studio album "Star in the Hood".
- Dirty Danger featured as an MC in Stamina Boy's song "Nuff Stamina" as well as appearing in the video. He also freestyled rapFreestyle rapFreestyle rap commonly refers to rap lyrics which are improvised through a acapella or with instrumental beats, i.e. performed with no previously composed lyrics, or "off the top of the head"...
in the song "I Ball" alongside Slix, SwaySway DaSafoDerek Andrew Safo is a Ghanaian British musician who uses the stage names Sway DaSafo or Sway. He is signed to Akon's Konvict Muzik record label and he is also a producer, establishing DCypha Productions.-Childhood:...
and Tinchy Stryder, as well as appearing in the song's video.
Rapid
Rapid (Real name: Prince Rapid, born 1983), is a grime artist and producer from Republic of Ghana, he is the grime (music)Grime (music)
Grime is a style of music that emerged from Bow, East London, England in the early 2000s, primarily as a development of UK garage, dancehall, and hip hop...
/hip hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
producer, mixing engineer
Mixing engineer
A mix engineer is the person responsible for incorporating all the different recorded elements of music to make the final version of a song. These mixing professionals have many years of experience and training with audio equipment which has enabled them to master the art of audio mixing...
and mastering engineer
Mastering engineer
A mastering engineer is one skilled in the practice of taking audio that has been previously mixed in either the analog or digital domain as mono, stereo, or multichannel formats and preparing it for use in distribution, whether by physical media such as a CD, vinyl record, or as some method of...
for the Ruff Sqwad collective.
- Rapid's first production that was recognised within the grime scene was "Tings in Boots". It was also on this track that he made his debut as an MC. However it is in producing where he has made his greater mark to date. Widely acknowledged as being one of the best producers in the grime scene - he is a leading member of the collective 'Ruff Sqwad', and produces many tracks for the collective.
- Rapid has made many hits since bursting onto the scene, ranging from the songs "Move" and "Underground" (featuring Tinchy Stryder) to more recent tracks such as Ghetts "Top 3 selected" and "Xtra" (featuring Ruff Sqwad), which also features his vocals. It's rumoured that following his success with grime music, he may experiment more with other genres.
Shifty Rydos
Shifty Rydos (born 1986), is a grime artist from Republic of Ghana, and he is an early member of the Ruff Sqwad collective.- Shifty Rydos has not released any solo music projects, most of the music made by Shifty Rydos has been done within and as a member of Ruff Sqwad.
Fuda Guy
Fuda Guy (born 1986), is an alternative rockAlternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
, rap rock
Rap rock
Rap rock is a cross-genre fusing vocal and instrumental elements of hip hop with various forms of rock. Rap rock is often confused with rap metal and rapcore, subgenres that include heavy metal-oriented and hardcore punk-oriented bands, respectively....
, post-dubstep and grime artist, and was the most recent member to join the Ruff Sqwad collective.
- Fuda Guy appeared on the grime DVDDVDA DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
'Lord Of The Mics 2', in a battle rapBattle RapBattle rap is a type of rapping that includes a lot of braggadocio content "combined with put-downs, insults, and disses against real or imaginary opponents"...
with a grime artist by the name of, Rage, from the grime music collective, Slew Dem Crew.
DJ Scholar
Scholar (Real name: Paul Oketcho, born 1986), is a grime DJ and producer, he is the DJ and Computer DJComputer DJ
A Computer DJ is defined as a DJ who uses a computer or laptop to play digital music encoded audio files, to a public crowd. Originally due to file size storage issues this was usually using lossy codec files , however as drive space increased, this improved to using original uncompressed PCM files...
for the Ruff Sqwad collective.
- DJ Scholar had produced a mixtape entitled "Back 2 Da Lab Volume 2" for a grime artist by the name of Frisco, from the grime music collective Boy Better KnowBoy Better Know-History:The band and label were established by Jamie Adenuga "Boy Better Know" is a registered trademark, clothing line and Boy Better Know sim cards....
. He also produced a mixtape entitled "Drastic Measures" for a grime artist by the name of Lee Brasco.
Studio albums
| Year | Album details | Peak chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
IRE Irish Albums Chart The Irish Albums Chart is the Irish music industry standard albums popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on its behalf by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured electronically... |
||
| 2005 | Guns and Roses Volume. 1 Guns and Roses Volume. 1 Guns and Roses Volume. 1 is the debut studio album by Ghanaian British grime music collective Ruff Sqwad. It was released in March 2005 on the independent record label Ruff Sqwad Recordings, and was very well received by the grime scene. It has been ranked amongst the best full-length studio albums...
|
||
| 2006 | Guns and Roses Volume. 2 Guns and Roses Volume. 2 Guns and Roses Volume. 2 is the second studio album by Ghanaian British grime music collective Ruff Sqwad. It was released in October 2006 on the independent record label Ruff Sqwad Recordings, and was very well received by the grime scene. Along with their debut album, Guns and Roses Volume... Compact Disc The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,... , MD Music download A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment... , LP LP album The LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry... |
||
| 2012 | Guns and Roses Volume. 3
Takeover Entertainment Takeover Entertainment is an independent record label, talent agency, musician management company, producer, and publisher of music, currently based in the United Kingdom. The company was founded in 2006 and is run by Kwasi Danquah III , Archie Lamb IV and Jack Foster... Compact Disc The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,... , Digital Download Music download A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment... |
TBR | |
Vinyl/Gramophone record
- Anna
- Misty Cold
- Misty Cold Remix
- Tings In Boots
- Lethal Injection
- Love You Feel
- Pied Piper
- All Day Long
- Don't Trust/Ur Love Feels
- Together EP
- Underground/Wide Awake
- Xtra/And Ting
- Move 2 Dis
- No Base EP
- Rock EP
- From A Place
- Ruff Sqwad Man Dem
Songs
As lead artist| Year | Song | Album | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | "Anna/Down" | — | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2008 | "RSMD" | — | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Walking U Home" | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2009 | "I Wanna Let U Know" (featuring various Grime Grime (music) Grime is a style of music that emerged from Bow, East London, England in the early 2000s, primarily as a development of UK garage, dancehall, and hip hop... artists) |
— | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2010 | "Champions" | III EP III EP (extended play) III EP is the fourth and final of 4 extended plays by Ghanaian British recording artist Tinchy Stryder. It was released on 27 September 2010 by Takeover Entertainment as a free downloadable EP prior to the release of Stryder's third solo studio album, Third Strike, which was released on November... |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2011 | "This Side" | — | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Las Vegas" | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "—" denotes a title that was not on a studio album. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
As featured artist
| Year | Song | Album/Mixtape |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | "Starz of Da Street Volume 1" (Street Starz Entertainment featuring Ruff Sqwad) | Mixtape Mixtape A Mix Tape or Mixed Tape is a compilation of songs recorded in a specific order, traditionally onto an audio Compact Cassette.A Mix Tape, which usually reflects the musical tastes of its compiler, can range from a casually selected list of favorite songs, to a conceptual mix of songs linked by a... |
| "Bring It Down"(Lord Of The Decks featuring Ruff Sqwad) | Lord Of The Decks 3 | |
| 2007 | "You Only See"(S.K.I.T.Z. Beatz featuring Ruff Sqwad) | In The Zone |
| "Catch 'Em"(Tinchy Stryder Tinchy Stryder Kwasi Danquah III , better known by his pseudonyms Tinchy Stryder and Star In The Hood, is a Ghanaian British recording artist, music executive, A&R executive, and businessman... featuring Ruff Sqwad) |
Star in the Hood | |
| "Xtra"(Tinchy Stryder featuring Ruff Sqwad) | Guns & Roses Vol. 2 & Star in the Hood |
|
| 2008 | "Tell Me"(Low Deep featuring Ruff Sqwad) | Unsung |
| 2009 | "Tryna Be Me"(Tinchy Stryder featuring Ruff Sqwad) | Catch 22 Catch 22 (Tinchy Stryder album) Catch 22 is the second full-length solo studio album by Ghanaian British recording artist Tinchy Stryder, and his major label debut, since allying with Universal Island Records. After three successful singles leading up to the album, the album, was released on August 17, 2009. The album is produced... |
| 2010 | "On My Own"(Blame featuring Ruff Sqwad) | The Music |
Music videos
| Title | Year | Director(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Anna/Down" | 2004 | Brandon "Maniac" Jolie | |
| "Xtra" (Tinchy Stryder Tinchy Stryder Kwasi Danquah III , better known by his pseudonyms Tinchy Stryder and Star In The Hood, is a Ghanaian British recording artist, music executive, A&R executive, and businessman... with Ruff Sqwad) |
2007 | ||
| "Walking U Home" | 2008 | Jak "FrSH" O'Hare & Brandon "Maniac" Jolie |
|
| "RSMD" | |||
| "I Wanna Let U Know" (with various Grime Grime (music) Grime is a style of music that emerged from Bow, East London, England in the early 2000s, primarily as a development of UK garage, dancehall, and hip hop... artists) |
2009 | Jak "FrSH" O'Hare | |
| "Tryna Be Me" (Tinchy Stryder Tinchy Stryder Kwasi Danquah III , better known by his pseudonyms Tinchy Stryder and Star In The Hood, is a Ghanaian British recording artist, music executive, A&R executive, and businessman... with Ruff Sqwad) |
|||
| "On My Own" (Blame with Ruff Sqwad) | 2010 | Danann Breathnach | |
| "Champions" | Jak "FrSH" O'Hare | ||
| "This Side" | 2011 | Craig Capone | |
| "Las Vegas" | Luke Monaghan | ||
External links
- Ruff Sqwad on MusicBrainzMusicBrainzMusicBrainz is a project that aims to create an open content music database. Similar to the freedb project, it was founded in response to the restrictions placed on the CDDB...
- Ruff Sqwad on Grimepedia